And There's No Stopping Us Right Now, I Feel So Close To You Right Now
by Liliana Celeste
Summary: Sydney Campbell is the younger sister of a metal-head TV host, Wayne Campbell. She's in a bit of a dilemma; she secretly has a stupid girl crush on her best friend's older and unavailable brother, Garth Algar. What's shocking is that she and Garth have a lot more in common than they both realize. Is it true that her best friend's brother is the one for her? Garth/OC *ON HAITUS*
1. Chapter 1

"Miss Campbell." That voice was so irritating; it sounded like chalk screeching against the board, or Freddy Krueger scraping his razor claws on metal.

An annoyed expression painted on her features as she reluctantly raised her eyes from her notebook to look at her teacher; she was so bored in History, she scribbled random stuff to pass the time. Each second seemed to tick by slowly; it was making her feel like she was experiencing an anxiety attack.

"Yes, Mr. Dickson." Miss Sydney Campbell said innocently, forcing back a smirk that was threatening to break loose. Her best friend and she quickly exchanged eye contact as they struggled to keep their laughter inside. Ironic considering her History teacher is quite a dick.

Dickson released an exaggerated sigh. "If I must repeat myself, Miss Campbell, since you obviously weren't paying attention—"

"Correction, Mr. Dickson; I was paying attention, I just occasionally drift off when I'm bored. I can't help being bored by the way of your terrible teaching." Sydney argued, as her best friend fought the urge to roll her eyes.

Everyone in the classroom looked at Dickson, depicting what move he was making. With that kind of attitude, Sydney might as well been sent to the office or at least receive a detention slip. Surprisingly, Dickson smiled coldly; a predator about to pounce on its prey.

"You know, Miss Campbell." Dickson said in that annoying voice of his. He slowly approached her desk that was located in the middle of the crowded classroom. "I remember a time when a certain boy used to sit in that same seat you're sitting in. He too had the words "no future" printed on his forehead." Dickson was standing in front of Sydney's desk and peered down at her with cold blue eyes. "Give your brother my best."

Students in the classroom made "ooh" noises and Sydney didn't bother to hide her glare for the insult she just received from her teacher. Honestly though, it was true, considering her older brother still lives with her and her parents.

"You just got a high scale on the burn factor, Campbell." One of the guy students commented, making Sydney roll her eyes.

"Dick." Her best friend, Bonnie cursed accidentally, loud enough for Dickson to hear. Immediately, the cold-hearted History teacher approached Bonnie's desk and loomed over in that intimidating stance, making Bonnie shrink lower in her desk, as if it were possible.

"Are you calling me a "dick", Miss Algar?" he questioned, ready to write up a detention slip for her.

"If she doesn't, I will." Sydney spoke up, eager to defend her best friend if necessary.

"Can it, Campbell. This is your last warning!" threatened Dickson.

"Your threats are wearing thin, sphincter boy. Might as well come up with new creative ideas to get me to shut up." Sydney replied nonchalantly. Many of the students watched in pure amusement. At this point, Dickson was turning red in anger; actually, he was turning purple since he was so furious. Sydney knew how to push his buttons, and it was the funniest thing ever.

"Get. Out." His words were icy.

"Okay." Sydney answered, a little too much enthusiasm. She rose from her seat and began to strap her purse over her shoulder before Dickson stopped her.

"The bag stays here."

"It's a purse."

"I don't care."

"What if I need it?"

"You won't."

"I'm serious. I could be on my period. What if I needed to go to the bathroom and I didn't have a tampon with me."

Everyone laughed in astonishment and the furious History teacher looked extremely embarrassed before he recovered.

"Leave the bag before I assist you to the Headmaster's office myself."

"Ooh, scary." Sydney mocked before unwillingly dropping the bag on her desk and making her way out of the dull classroom. "Keep an eye on my bag, Bon." She called to her best friend as Dickson pointed out the door.

Sydney blew exaggerated kisses and bowed down to everyone who, much to Dickson's dislike, clapped for Miss Campbell having a verbal fight with Dickson. Usually, nobody stood up to him that way. Only a few people including Sydney and Bonnie; the dynamic duo.

Walking out of the door dramatically, Sydney went out into the ancient hallway of her local high school and leaned against the lockers until class was over.

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"Dude, oh my God, I can't believe you had the balls to stand up to Dickson like that." Bonnie babbled around lunch time. Since it was a gorgeous day in Aurora, Illinois, best friends Sydney and Bonnie decided to eat their lunch outside on a picnic bench; away from the other students who were busy eating inside.

"That was nothing, Bon." Sydney replied disinterestedly, her attention on her turkey and Swiss sandwich. As much as she loved Bonnie, it got occasionally annoying when Bonnie kept on bragging about stuff that happens every day with Dickson. It felt like a circus in History; you never knew what to expect next.

"Nothing, my ass." Bonnie playfully nudged her best friend across the table. "Whatever. Anyways, so… I don't know what plans you have tonight, but you're gonna have to cancel them."

"Why?" asked Sydney through a mouth full of sandwich. "And I actually do have plans, believe it or not, Bon. I have a hot date with Richie."

"Oh God." Bonnie scrunched her nose up in disgust. "Richard Oliver? I don't understand how you put up with that conceited jack-ass. Can't believe you've been going out with him for two years already."

"Jealous, much?" asked Sydney playfully.

"Annoyed, thank you very much." Bonnie corrected. "He's got such a big ego, it's incredibly eye-rolling. Not to mention his older brother is equally egotistical."

"His older brother is hot."

"Hot, yes. Conceited, yes. Nice, no."

"Who cares if he's nice? I don't ever talk to Benjamin, so what does it matter?"

"Yeah, but I'm saying that Richie isn't so nice either."

"Richie is sweet." Sydney defended. "He might come off that way to maybe you and others, but when were alone together; he's a completely different person."

"Oh God." Bonnie looked at her seriously. "You're in denial."

"I am not."

"Yes, yes you are."

Sydney groaned; she despised when her best friend talked negative things about her boyfriend Richard. Which was pretty much every single day. Frustrated, Sydney ran a hand through her dark hair before peering at the blonde Bonnie.

"Bonnie, considering you are my best friend; and best friends shouldn't judge each other no matter what, I would appreciate it if you stopped talking negatively about my boyfriend. It's pissing me off, and you know I rarely get pissed off… unless if we're in Dickson's wretched class."

Bonnie looked slightly ashamed to be confronted like that. She swallowed thickly and chose her next words carefully.

"Shit. You're right. I'm sorry. I'm acting like a bitch. But you are my best friend; and I do care about you, I want you to know that I'm looking out for you."

Bonnie was sincere.

Sydney nodded, acknowledging her friend's honesty.

"I forgive you." She clasped her hand onto Bonnie's for a few moments. "And I do appreciate you looking out for me and being honest, but you have nothing to worry about. Richie and I will be together and nothing will break the bond we have."

Bonnie appeared unconvinced but didn't say anything otherwise.

"Okay." Sydney surrendered to the blonde's request. "I'll cancel plans with Richie and go with you for whatever crazy adventure you have planned tonight."

Bonnie smirked at the dark-haired girl's reply.

"Excellent. After school, we're going shopping because we need to pick out sexy outfits for tonight; we're going to the Gasworks bar."

Sydney stared at Bonnie as if she'd grown two heads. Then she laughed doubtfully, "Okay. Yeah, right. Um, Bon; in case you haven't noticed, we're only seventeen-years-old. What makes you think we can march right into a bar?"

Bonnie's smirk grew as she retrieved two fake I.D.'s in her bag and subtly slipped them across the table. Sydney nodded impressed.

"Should I even ask as to how you got these?"

"I've got ways, Sydney Campbell."

"Yeah, you also got pimples on your butt, Bonnie Algar."

"You're extremely lucky that I love you."

"I know; I love me too."

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**A/N: Thank you so much for reading! If you have any questions, please let me know.**

**- Nina **


	2. Chapter 2

After school was over, Bonnie drove Sydney and her into the city, where they could attempt to find outfits for the night. The entire time, Sydney attempted to talk Bonnie out of using fake I.D.'s to get into the bar, declaring that it probably wouldn't work, not to mention they would be in so much trouble.

"Of course, it will work." Bonnie argued as they surfed through aisles of different dresses in a random store in their local mall. "Syd, c'mon; you're usually the one who's always telling me to go to the extreme."

"Yeah, if we're like going to jump off a bridge and down into a lake; not to illegally sneak into a bar, smart-one."

"We won't get caught," said Bonnie firmly, before smiling in glee as her blue eyes settled on a certain dress. "That's it, Syd. That's the one; that's the dress you were born to wear."

"Bonnie Algar, don't change the subject—"

Without warning, Bonnie forced Sydney to look and Syd paused for a brief moment as her brown eyes settled on the particular dress that was hung up right in front of them.

"That is my dress."

"Hell yeah, it is."

Fingering the lacy material, Sydney skimmed her eyes before hesitating. She said doubtfully, "I don't know, Bon. This dress is kinda racy. This is the kind of dress a chick would wear if she's planning on hooking up with some random hot dude."

"No, it's not." Bonnie said before pausing a brief moment. "Okay, maybe it is. But you're not that kind of chick and you're not into that kind of thing. Besides, unluckily for the future hotties that we're about to meet tonight, you're already taken by _Douchepants_."

"Real mature, Bon-Bon." Sydney said with an eye roll.

After a few mild bicker sessions between the two teenagers, Bonnie ultimately convinced a reluctant Sydney to buy the dress. They decided to search through a few more stores in the mall for Bonnie's outfit and once they finally did; the girls decided to eat an early dinner in the food court.

Ordering Chinese food, Sydney and Bonnie sat opposite each other at a table on the outskirts of the small food court, away from the big crowds of kids their age.

"I'm so stoked for tonight." Bonnie said enthusiastically, twirling her chow mien noodles with a fork instead of using chopsticks like Sydney was doing. "This night is going to be so much better than that lame bon fire party hosted at the beach last year."

"The bon fire was not lame." Sydney laughed. "You're just pissed off because Bon Jovi refused to sign your bra."

"Don't laugh at my depression, Syd." Bonnie crossed her arms, forming a pout on her lips. "It was terribly rude of him not to sign it."

"It was rude that you kept on insisting even after he said "no" multiple times."

"Whatever. I'm totally over my Bon Jovi phase that was beginning to ruin my young life. It's not my fault he had to be so damn attractive. He destroyed my innocence as a child."

Sydney laughed. Her best friend could be so amusing sometimes; other times, she could be extremely annoying. Although, she had to admit; Sydney was indeed a lucky girl to have Bonnie as a friend, almost like a sister.

Later that night; Bonnie drove them back to her house, located on the suburbs of Aurora. Sydney absolutely loved her friend's house; it was two-story, unlike her own house. Almost every weekend, Syd came to Bon's house to spend the night.

Since it was Friday, it was perfect considering Syd and Bon were going to stay up late and party.

Arriving to Bon's house, they immediately went straight to her room to prepare for the night.

"So, what is Richie planning on doing tonight?" asked Bonnie curiously as she stepped out of her steamy bathroom after taking a shower. She was wrapping a towel around her wet blonde tendrils and adjusting her fluffy pink bathrobe.

Syd was relaxing on Bon's bed, reading a fashion magazine to keep herself occupied until it was her turn to shower. She looked up as Bonnie regarded her.

"Um… I don't know." Sydney's answer was vague. "He didn't really say." She shrugged and then continued to read the magazine.

"Hmm…" Bonnie's mind was reeling with all the conceivable things that Richard possibly does behind Sydney's back. She opened her mouth to say something but decided it would be best to keep her mouth shut. Bonnie didn't want to upset her friend any further; she already felt bad earlier for telling her all those negative things about Richie. But Bonnie couldn't help it; there was something suspicious about that Richard Oliver. And she didn't like it, whatsoever.

"You're doing it again, Bon." Syd observed, making her friend jump in surprise.

"I'm doing what again?" asked Bon confused.

"That face you make when you're actually thinking about something serious. Penny for your thoughts?"

"You don't want to hear my thoughts."

"Bonnie, c'mon. You need to chill about Richie, okay. I'm not worried that he's going to do something behind my back. All right? I trust him."

Bonnie grimaced but didn't say anything, afraid to upset Sydney.

"Look, Bon; I don't want to talk about Richard anymore, okay? I canceled plans with him to spend time with you. So please don't ruin our night together with this Richie bullshit. Okay?"

Bonnie hesitated before eventually nodding. "Okay."

Sydney smiled softly, grabbing her friend's hand and squeezing it. "Thank you. Now, wipe the frown off your face. Because we're gonna have a kick-ass night. Remember?"

Bonnie chuckled. "Yeah, I remember."

"Good. I'm gonna hop in the shower. I'll be out in ten. Make yourself look sexy in the meantime." Syd playfully slapped her friend's ass before leaping off the bed and skipping to the bathroom.

"Remind me why we're friends again?" asked Bonnie good-humoredly.

Syd laughed before shutting the bathroom door. Humming the tune of a pop song she heard on the radio earlier, she turned the nozzle, warm water instantly shot out from the showerhead. Satisfied with the temperature of the water, Syd began to strip off her clothes.

Unfortunately for her, she forgot to lock the second door in the bathroom that connects to Bonnie's older brother's bedroom.

Without warning, the second door burst open, making Syd jump and scream at the sudden intrusion. Thankfully, she was still clad in her bra and panties; Sydney quickly grabbed a spare towel resting on the counter to cover herself up.

"Holy shit!" cursed Syd.

"Oh my God!" exclaimed the older Algar brother. Garth's cheeks blossomed red as he noticed that his bathroom that he shared with his sister was occupied; he couldn't even hear the shower running from his bedroom. He visibly gulped as he saw his sister's best friend Sydney. And she was in his bathroom – wearing nothing but undergarments and a skimpy towel covering her up, leaving little to the imagination.

"Oh," Sydney calmed down as she was realized it was just Garth. "Hey there, Algar." She saluted him as Garth just stood there frozen in complete shock, his mouth hanging open. "Be careful; you'll catch flies." She joked. Sydney observed him and immediately noticed the striking similarities between Garth and Bonnie; both have natural blonde hair, bright blue eyes, alabaster skin.

"Um," he shifted uncomfortably, adjusting his thick black-rimmed glasses that were beginning to fog up from the steam. "Hi, Sydney." He flashed her a quick dorky smile, showing surprisingly white teeth. His smile was contagious, as Sydney returned his smile.

"Ya know, if you wanted to see me naked, all you have to do is ask." She joked, again making Garth extremely uncomfortable.

"Uh, no, no thank you. I'm just gonna go." He almost smacked into the wall as he turned around before looking at Syd nervously. He pointed to the wall with a bashful grin. "That's the wall. And here's the exit." He correctly walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Sydney couldn't help herself; he was too cute sometimes.

Sydney released a sigh and said, "Well, that was awkward."

With a shrug, Sydney returned to shedding all articles of clothing off her before stepping into the shower; the hot water soothed and relaxed her. Her mind kept shifting to the scene between her and Garth; he really was socially awkward with the ladies, sometimes.

Although, Sydney didn't really mind it; she found it sweet that he was inexperienced. Secretly, she's had a major crush on her best friend's brother for many years; but she never told anyone about it, especially not to her older brother Wayne, who just so conveniently happened to be Garth's best friend.

All this time, she's never spoke to anyone about her feelings for Garth; another reason being that there's an age difference, though Sydney didn't think it's much of a big deal – he's seven years older than her, him being twenty-four and her being seventeen.

Sydney shook her head, snapping her out of those thoughts. She shouldn't be still thinking about that kind of stuff after all these years, especially since she's been a relationship with Richie for almost two years.

"I love Richie," Sydney whispered to herself. A flash of doubt wavered over her. "Pull your shit together, Syd. No matter what Bonnie or anybody says or thinks; Richie and you are happy together." She tried to convince herself; only the doubt flowed in stronger.

Ignoring the negative feelings building inside her, Sydney resumed on preparing for the night.

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**A/N: Penny for your thoughts, anyone?**

**- Nina **


	3. Chapter 3

"Well… I have to be honest with you, Bon; I can't believe that sphincter guy _actually_ fell for your fake I.D.'s." Sydney commented, amazement laced in her voice as she and Bonnie strolled through the crowded inside of the Gasworks bar. "I mean, just look at these. They're fake as hell." The two best friends carefully maneuvered around the large quantity of people surrounding them.

"They can't be _that_ fake, because metal-head back there just happily granted us our freedom inside this place." Bonnie said proudly before all of a sudden she smelled something bad. "Ew. Oh my God – what is that? It smells like—"

As if God heard, a random guy stumbled by the pair and decided to vomit right in front of them. Obviously the long-haired metal-head had way too much to drink. At that point, Sydney had no idea why Bonnie kept bragging about this place as if it were the best thing since television was invented.

"Oh God! Walk away! Walk away!" Bonnie cried out as she hooked her hand around her best friend's arm and dragged them away from the disgusting scene. "That was gross." She crinkled her nose, trying to rid the stench.

"Bon, I'm starting to realize something; Gasworks is not at all exciting like you kept on saying." Sydney observed as her eyes scanned throughout the bar crawling with sweaty disgusting people.

"Oh, lighten up, Syd." Bon tried to convince her, but she sounded extremely unimpressed herself. She tried to remain optimistic. "Look at this place! The people, the atmosphere, the smell of—"

"Sweaty jockstrap?" asked Sydney, the side of her mouth quirking up.

"Because that's totally what I was going to say."

"Uh-huh. Sure thing, Bon. Whatever you say."

"Don't get so sassy with me, Syd."

"You love it." Syd smiled before an idea blossomed in her head. "C'mon, girl! Let's dance!"

"Oh God." Bon grimaced; it's not that she hated dancing, but she lacked the confidence to do so. "Syd, you _know_ I can't dance."

"I'm not having any of that _I can't dance_ bullshit." Syd ignored her protests and practically dragged the blonde girl out to the dance floor. A chick band was performing on the stage while the audience danced and whipped their long hair around. To Bon's dismay, Syd forcefully heaved her towards the center where they were engulfed by the audience.

"Just let yourself go, Bon, and feel the music." Syd ordered playfully, whipping her brunette locks around and swirling her hips around. Bonnie only stood there slightly awkwardly, her cheeks burning in embarrassment of anyone looking her direction. Attempting to give her friend more confidence, Syd grabbed her hands and danced with her.

Slowly, Bonnie was starting to move around; actually doing something instead of just standing there with an awkward face. Syd smiled in success as Bonnie started to really get the hang of it as they danced together in the large crowd.

"I really hate you right now, Syd."

"I love you too, Bon."

The two girls began to have fun as they danced around for a few minutes before Bonnie declared that she was going to get them a few drinks. Bonnie temporarily left while Sydney continued to dance all by herself. Her hair whipped around as she listened to the band that was performing. She had no idea what the band was called but the lead Asian singer had some strong vocals going on.

Feeling saucy, Syd began to dance with some random people; occasionally grinding and other stuff her parents would definitely be disappointed in. Without even looking at the person behind her, she moved herself against the stranger's pelvis and felt the person jump, as if caught in surprise.

Syd was feeling way too confident as she continued to move against the person but the stranger wasn't returning the moves; he was just standing there frozen. Syd noticed there was something attached to his waist, as she felt a belt of some sort. The stranger was still standing still.

"What's the matter? Can't keep up?" she asked in a flirty voice, still not turning around to see who she was grinding against. Not waiting for an answer, she brought her hands to reach behind for the person's hands and with that, she positioned them on her hips, grinding seductively. She grinned; these were definitely man hands that were extremely sexy to her; she had a thing for guys with attractive hands.

"Oh God…" she could hear him gulp and she smirked. His hot breath hit the back of her neck, making the hairs stand up. Goosebumps grazed her flesh; she was feeling exhilarated.

"Oh yes…" she purred, leaning her head back and immediately feeling the ends of the man's hair. Paying closer attention, she realized something strangely familiar about his hair – blonde and messy. Daring herself to actually look over her head, she wanted to crawl into a hole and die. The blonde hair belonged to none other than Garth Algar; and here Syd was, grinding against him.

"Oh my God!" they both shouted in shock as they recognized each other. Her cheeks brightened as she pushed herself away from him so they had some space. He was looking equally embarrassed as she was. In the midst of the heated moment, her eyes quickly scanned over him; he looked sexy tonight. Well, in her opinion, he always looked sexy. Like there was a boyish quality to him that Syd was digging. Wiping those inappropriate thoughts from her mind, she decided to question him.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." He replied in that funny voice of his.

"Well, I asked first." Syd argued stubbornly. She tucked a piece of dark hair behind her ear and crossed her arms.

"Okay. Fair enough. I'm here because Wayne and I always come here. It's always a babefest here."

"Holy shit!" Syd blanched. "My brother's here? He'll skin me alive if he found out I snuck in here."

"You snuck in here?" asked Garth perplexed.

"That's not important!" Syd dismissed.

At the nick of time, Bonnie decided to show up with a round of girly-looking drinks, not realizing her brother was standing right there.

"A _Sex on the Beach_, darling." Bonnie smiled as if she just won the lottery as she passed Syd the drink; the entire time Syd was shaking her head, trying to get her to shut up. But Bonnie was unfortunately being oblivious. "These fake I.D.'s are coming in so much handy; the bartender totally—"

"Oh my God!" Bonnie instantly tossed the alcohol drink behind her, as if she didn't have one in her hand a second ago; the drink unluckily landed on the back of someone's head as they complained out-loud. "Big brother…" Bon plastered a big cheesy smile on her face; a perfectly innocent expression that totally read _this isn't what it looks like_. "Fancy seeing you here." She forced out through her fake smile. Leaning towards Syd as if Garth couldn't hear, but he could, Bon whispered through gritted teeth, "_What is he doing here_?!"

"Oh, he said that Wayne and he always come here because it's always a babefest." Syd said, almost nonchalantly, even though on the inside she was about to crap her pants. If Wayne finds out she's here…

"Did he? Well, that's just lovely."

"Bonnie, you shouldn't be here." Garth told her, showing off his protective side. Even though he was a goofball most of the time, he still cared like a big brother for his younger sister. Syd slightly smiled; at times he could act surprisingly mature.

"He's right; Bonnie, you shouldn't be here." Syd joked. Bonnie didn't laugh or smile.

"You shouldn't be here too, Sydney." Garth redirected his blue eyes towards her. It took a lot for Syd not to openly gaze at him like it's obvious of her affection for him.

"He's right; Sydney, you shouldn't be here." Bon mocked.

"Okay, neither one of us should be here. Maybe we should just—"Syd bit her tongue, cutting off her sentence as she saw her brother at the bar, but he wasn't staring at them, he was staring at someone else, as if he was entranced. Syd followed his gaze and noticed the Asian singer. She rolled her eyes, of course, her brother always the stud.

"Shit. It's my brother; now, we have to go." Syd ordered before looking up at Garth. "Please, don't say anything to Wayne. He would kill me and you know it."

Garth hesitated before nodding. "Scout's honor." He was such a dork.

"Crap! Wayne's coming this way! Let's go, Syd!"

Bonnie pulled her arm as Sydney smiled at the geek with the glasses, silently thanking him before she turned and followed her best friend out the exit; luckily she escaped before her brother had the chance of catching her in a heavy-metal bar.

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**A/N: This chapter is a little shorter, I'm sorry about that, but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless. Thank you to my two awesome reviewers kaylinthehuman and Tini Rini, you guys are cool! Reviews are better than grinding on Garth ;D Haha. Party on :P **

**- Nina **


	4. Chapter 4

Before Sydney and Bonnie knew it; their weekend was over and it was time to go back to school. It was only May – graduation would take place during the next month. Of course, Sydney was excited, like any other senior would be – but all the time, her mind spun like a wheel. She always wondered what it would be like to not be a high-school student anymore. The positive part of her was ecstatic and the negative part of her was nervous.

School passed through like a blur and soon, Sydney was home, chilling inside her bedroom. Her walls were colored a soft pink; a favorite color of hers since she was a little kid. The bed was centered in the middle of the room, white comforters and sheets matching perfectly with her girly wall. Throughout the years, Sydney plastered photos and posters; it covered her walls completely, almost covering the pink paint.

Music played softly in the background on her boom box as Sydney perched on her bed, reading a fashion magazine. Just as she was about to read an exciting article about Johnny Depp, she heard knocking on her door.

"Yeah?"

"It's your awesome brother."

"Joy. Come in."

She didn't look up as she heard the door open. Footsteps padded along her hardwood floor and soon, she felt Wayne take a seat on the edge as her mattress dipped low.

"Can I help you?" the teenager looked up as she met her brother's dark brown eyes that heavily matched her own. Of course, Wayne was dressed in his typical attire that consisted of a black shirt, ripped jeans, and his hat that captioned his local TV show.

"Yes, you can, little sister; you can start by washing the dishes. It's your turn."

"Nice try, big brother. But you're not that sly. I believe it is your turn; I did the dishes yesterday."

"Yeah, right. No, you didn't." Wayne argued unconvincingly.

"Stop being so lazy, dude. Just go do them." Sydney laughed.

"Oh, I should also let you know before I forget, because you know I'm very experienced in forgetting." Wayne laughed and Sydney gestured him to go on. "I just went and checked the mail and this really important-looking letter was sent to you." He said in a cunning tone; clearly he knew something she didn't. She didn't notice but his hand was behind his back the entire time; and he grinned as he held up the letter in her sight.

She gently took the envelope from him and observed it and her heart dropped to her stomach; it was an acceptance letter from Harvard University – the dream school her parents signed her up to go. It was never a dream for her to go to Harvard; she always fantasized of going to an art school.

"I got in." She announced unenthusiastically.

"That's great." Wayne smiled but it slowly disappeared as he noticed the apathetic look on his baby sister's face. "What's wrong, kid?"

Sydney shrugged as she tossed the letter to the side and took a deep breath before saying cautiously, "What's wrong is that I'm not happy that I got accepted into Harvard. Do you not know how many times I've hoped and prayed that I wouldn't get accepted? A lot, Wayne. A lot."

"Well, this is a different reaction that I wasn't expecting."

"Wayne. It's our parent's dream for me to go to Harvard; not mine. They've taken complete control over my future because of the fact that you didn't get far with yours."

"Hey!" he said offensively. "Exsqueeze me? Are you blaming your precious future on me?"

"So far, yes."

"Well, un-yes it then."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because there's no reason for me to un-yes it."

"I'm sorry, little sister." He patted her knee. "If it makes you feel better… I'll wash the dishes, just for your sake." She playfully smacked her pillow in his face, knocking his cap off his head. "That wasn't nice." Wayne pointed out.

"It's your turn to do the dishes anyway, end of story."

"Yeah. Whatever."

"Love you too, Wayne."

"Love me too, Sydney."

He patted her on the head as if she was a dog that deserved to be praised before getting off her bed and exiting her bedroom; leaving Sydney alone to her thoughts. Harvard was such a big opportunity and Sydney appreciated of what that school had to offer; but it just wasn't the right school for her.

But unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it. Her parents would be so disappointed in her if she turned down the once in a lifetime opportunity to go to Harvard. As a child, one of her passions was drawing; but her parents never encouraged her to get a degree in Art, as they liked to think of it as more of a hobby than a career.

The next day, after school was over, Sydney decided to go with Bonnie back to her place. As soon as they got to her beautiful home, the teenage girls dropped their bags on the kitchen counter; Bonnie's mom, Jeanette, a very pretty woman in her fifties with shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes, obviously Garth and Bonnie inherited that trait from their mother. Jeanette was busy washing dishes and a bright smile spread across her face as she recognized her two favorite girls.

"Hey mom." Bonnie greeted as she poured herself a cup of iced tea. Sydney perched herself on a chair, leaning against the marble island counter.

"Hey baby girl. Syd, how are you doing, honey?" asked Jeanette as she finished up washing dishes and wiped her soiled hands with a dish towel. Jeanette was definitely MILF material; it disturbed Sydney to hear that Wayne had the hot's for Garth's mother. The thought alone made her cringe.

"I'm great, mom. How are you?" Sydney smiled; Jeanette was practically a second mother to her since she and Bonnie have been best friends since the sand box.

"Doing just fine, sweetie. Bon, honey, after Syd leaves, you need to clean your room. It looks like a bomb went off in there."

"What? Mom! What's the point of cleaning a room if it's only gonna get dirty again?" complained Bonnie, as she took a seat next to Sydney. Jeanette regarded her with a stern motherly look as she placed her hands on her curvy hips.

"Bonnie…" her mother warned threateningly.

"Yes, ma'am." Bonnie reluctantly replied, making Sydney briefly smile at the mother-daughter interaction.

"Thank you, baby." Jeanette acknowledged as she grabbed a sponge from the sink and started to clean the island counter in front of the teenage girls. "So, what's new? Music? Movies? Entertainment? Any new cute boys that I should know about?"

"Mom!" Bonnie was extremely embarrassed of her mother; don't get her wrong, she loved her mother almost like a best friend, but at times her mother would try and act cool, but it would make her come off as tremendously ridiculous. On the other hand, Sydney adored Jeanette; she wished she had that same close relationship with her own mother. Unlike Jeanette who was casual, fun, and willing to try new things; Sydney's mother was more strict and uptight.

"What? I'm just asking a few innocent questions." Jeanette defended herself as the front door opened and Sydney immediately recognized that dorky smile and crazy hair; Garth. Her cheeks bloomed crimson as she remembered their last encounter from that disgusting heavy-metal bar. Sydney was pretty sure she caught an STD in that horrible place.

"Garthy! You're home!" Jeanette cried happily as if she hadn't seen her son in years. Garth looked horrified as his mother dropped her sponge from cleaning and walked over and forcefully planted a huge kiss, resulting with a loud smack.

"Mom!" Garth cried out, embarrassment shooting him like a bullet of never ending humiliation. There was a red lipstick stain where his mother kissed him on the cheek, making Bonnie and Sydney giggle like a pair of wild hyenas. His entire face turned red like the color of his mother's lipstick.

"I like that color on you, Algar. It suits your skin tone." Sydney joked, smiling in entertainment at his horrified expression; seriously, he looked like he was so frightened he was sick as a dog. Speaking of dogs, Garth's Shetland sheepdog strolled into the kitchen, looking adorable as always.

"I'm gonna go in my room and wallow in humiliation. C'mere, girl." He whistled for his dog to follow him and he trudged upstairs to his room as Sydney watched him. She didn't even realize that Bonnie was trying to catch her attention.

"Hello? Earth to Sydney." She snapped her fingers in front of her best friend's face to get a reaction; but alas, nothing happened. Getting impatient, Bon shouted, "Girl, look at me."

"Bonnie! You know the rules; no screaming in this household." Jeanette chided, as she continued her work of cleaning the countertop.

"Sorry, mom." She apologized before whispering in a yell, "Sydney!"

"What?" snapped Sydney out of her trance-like state.

"Hello there, welcome back to Bonnie's residence." Bonnie said sarcastically before, "C'mon, I need you to help me with painting my nails, you know I can't use my left hand to—"

"Actually, Bon. I should probably get going." Sydney said apologetically, as she grabbed her bag from the floor and slung it on her shoulder. Bon had her arms spread out in a what-the-hell gesture.

"Dude, seriously? We just got here."

"I know. I just realized that I'm supposed to meet Richie in like an hour." Sydney explained, walking towards the front door.

"He can wait."

"Bye, Bon." Sydney opened the front door and waved at her best friend before stepping out, closing the door behind her.

Bonnie shook her head in disbelief and crossed her arms. She complained, "I can't believe this. For two years, she's been dating this douchebag. She's been so distant and I hate it." She spun around in her chair, facing her mother who was showing a look of concern for her daughter. "Mom, what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Well, for starters, you can start by helping me do the dishes—"

"Not that. I mean, what am I supposed to do with how I feel concerning my fading friendship with my best friend in the entire world? Seriously, mom – I feel like we're not as close as we used to be. Now, she barely has any time for me. And it's all because of this punk that has absolutely no respect for her and Syd is too in denial to even notice."

"Who has no respect for Syd?" asked Garth as he entered the kitchen again, the lip stick stain cleaned off his cheek. He stepped beside his mom and reached for a bowl to have cereal.

"Her dipshit boyfriend Richie." Bonnie supplied. "God! This whole situation pisses me off so much. I wish she would see how much of an ass he is."

"Okay, Bonnie, please do tell me why this _dipshit boyfriend_ of hers is such an ass?" asked Jeanette.

"He comes from a rich family; the Oliver's. His older brother is actually a television producer, I believe. Anyways, he's nothing but a spoiled, rich, pansy-ass momma's boy. He did absolutely nothing to earn the money he has. He treats Sydney like dirt, mom. Like, one time," Bonnie ranted angrily. "He takes her out to a fancy restaurant, right? Sounds like a sweet gesture, huh? Turns out he made Sydney pay for her half of the meal, when he has plenty of money in his pocket, even after Sydney begged him not to take her to such a nice place. He's so disrespectful, he makes me want to hurl."

"Why would anyone want to treat Sydney like that?" asked Garth in disbelief. He had no idea who this Richie kid was, but as far as he was concerned, he didn't like him so far. "She's so nice and she smells good."

"Why were you smelling up my best friend, sphincter boy?" questioned Bonnie suspiciously. She narrowed her blue eyes at her brother, making him feel nervous as she scrutinized him, as if she could read his mind. He hoped to God she couldn't.

"I was not." He defended weakly. "Her lady smell is like – you could smell it from miles away, ya know." Bonnie still looked unconvinced.

"I gotta go." After he finished pouring his cereal, he took off.

Bonnie sighed and ran her hands through her sleek hair. Jeanette maneuvered around the counter and kissed the crown of her daughter's head lovingly.

"You two need to talk; about how you both feel, and how you're going to fix the situation that you're in." Jeanette whispered into her hair. Bonnie closed her eyes and leaned into her mother's embrace.

"Yeah, I know. I know."


End file.
